Session 7 - Adventures on the Highroad
As the barracks at Merriglen's Mill burned out, with Merriglen and many of his New Church soldiers dead, half-Orc fighter Phryne and human druid Fairy Dragon saw to the few remaining soldiers, ensuring they wouldn't cause any more trouble. The innkeeper, Jawn, was horrified that the heroes had killed Merriglen, and let them know they weren't welcome in the inn. Phryne, keen on securing the money promised to the companions by Merriglen. She searched the New Church of Apexion chapel and broke into Merriglen's home, but was unable to find any gold. The heroes decided to leave the settlement that evening and camp in the woods. That evening, tiefling sorcerer Vanderjesus was able to discuss her findings with the group. When she stayed behind in Bridgton, taking advantage of the hospitality of the House of 1000 Ribbons, she also put out feelers and got a tip through her criminal contacts in Bridgton about the tealstone, the mysterious stone goblins have been mining in the western lands. Through her criminal contacts in Bridgton, she learned a few thieves had followed a band of goblins to a small mining operation, so they looked into why goblins would be interested the tealstone, considered a mundane and useless stone with a faint teal glow. The thieves found an impartial transcript of an ancient Elven document about tealstone, and managed to smuggle it out. No one in the city was able to read the old cursive script of the document, but Vanderjesus could get a sense from the illustrations that magic has an effect on tealstone. Vanderjesus tried a couple of small spells, and found that the stone stores up magic, and the more spells used on a piece of tealstone make the material increasingly unstable. She used a stronger spell on a small amount of the stone and it exploded. The next morning the heroes awoke to find a mysterious bundle, which included a small chest of gold, a wood carving of a doe and a stag, a small golden-leaf brooch and an ancient bone ocarina. The heroes travelled along the Lowland Highroad into verdant plains occassionally dotted with farming settlements and villages. A few days into their travels they noticed the roads were becoming increasingly busy. Travelers (revelers, more like) were excited for the upcoming Festival of Excelsion , the god of sports and competition, held annually in the leadup to the Summer Solstice in Victor . At one point the road became extremely snarled with traffic at a small river crossing, but Fairy Dragon along with wood Elf rogue Mindratis, half-air spirit monk Aubrey and human cleric Edlee heard screaming at the bridge. They ran ahead and found a giant, mutated, lobster-like creature had climbed out of the river to attack the travellers, and had pinned a few people among crashed carts. The heroes dashed into battles, with Mindratis loosing arrows at the beast. Aubrey ran in and used his gust of wind power to lift the cart off some trapped travellers. Edlee rushed into help a traveller with a broken leg, while Fairy Dragon lobbed some conjured fire at the lobster-creature. Vanderjesus and Phryne rushed to catch up, with Vanderjesus summoning a chill touch against the beast, and Phryne charging in with her trident. The beast focused the brunt of its vicious claw attacks on Phryne and downed her twice, although Edlee channeled his healing power into rising her up again each time. Fairy Dragon transformed into a giant spider to continue the attack, and Aubrey leapt in and harnessed air energy to blast the creature with a mighty Fist of Unbroken Air, sending it flying and crashing onto the river bank. The heroes continued their assault and vanquished the creature, to the cheers and celebration of the saved travellers. As the travellers worked to clear the bridge, Vanderjesus commanded those in awe of the heroes power and battle prowess to make them dinner and provide ale, which Phryne gladly accepted, and the heroes camped with their admirers for the evening before continuing on. A few days later they ended up in the large farming community of Brambleberry. The town thick with tourists, Mindratis set out to ply his criminal trade, and managed to swipe a purse of gold coins off one victim, but mistook one merchant's testicles for another bag of gold, and got into a confrontation with the town militia. They trailed him into an alley, but he was able to duck by them and hide in a market stall as they tromped by. Phryne, meanwhile, sought out a tavern and a bard or entertainer. She was directed to the Berry Bush, the town's popular establishment, where a singer named Merryweather played her lute. Unfortunately, after a woefully botched attempt to get the singer's attention in an amorous fashion lead to Phryne making something between a scowl and a grimace, Phryne found herself ignored, so she turned her night around by winning some gold and clothes in a strip-dice game against drunk travellers. Vanderjesus treated Edlee to a meal at a local establishment where she heard rumours that a priest named Exos was giving a sermon outside of town that evening. She'd heard the name before; a man generally referred to as Exos the Prophet, who she believed was a famous Paladin who fought in a small war against a particularly aggressive Orcish foray into the Lowlands. The heroes set out on the Highroad again and came into a small farm town a few days away from Victor. There were grumbles of discontent among travellers as the party noticed a number of people who had apparently turned back from their travels to the festival. Phryne chatted up the local blacksmith and town leader, a former soldier named Hadreanna. Hadreanna explained that a group of ruffians had set up a roadblock at a nearby bridge, claiming to be soldiers of the local royal family, and demanding outrageous "tolls" to let people across the bridge, using threats and violence to get what they want and turning back those who had little. Phryne volunteered herself (and her friends') to deal with the thugs. Skipping the lineup at the bridge, Phryne and her friends approached the four ruffians, one of which had a pack of mastiff attack dogs leashed. The half-Orc fighter exclaimed, "This is an illegal blockade." One of the thugs retorted, "Everyone's got to wait their turn, mate." Phryne said she didn't think she would, to which the "guards" laughed. "It's normally a hundred gold to cross, but for you I'll make it two hundred." At that point, Phryne whipped out her trident and said, "I don't have two hundred gold!" Battle quickly followed. Vanderjesus exploited her fiery powers to crisp a thug and burn a couple of the dogs to death, while Phryne and Aubrey charged in and fought with the attackers in a violent melee, with Edlee backing them. Little did the ruffians know, but Fairy Dragon had transformed into a mouse and snuck onto the bridge to flank the attackers, and Mindratis waited in the bushes to snipe at the thugs. The heroes dispatched most of the guards and the dogs, although one bolted when he saw his friends downed. Aubrey blasted the boss into the river with his air power, and then lifted her our when she appeared to live, with Mindratis finishing her off in mid-air. Phryne desperately wanted a "dog army," but was disappointed at the dog bodies around her (a couple charred by Vanderjesus). They found one of the dogs simply unconcious, and with his remaining healing ability, Edlee brought the dog back to life, and managed to calm it with the help of Fairy Dragon. It may not be an army, but their new animal companion is certainly a start. ACTIVE QUESTS -NAME THAT DOG -Potentially join the throngs of travellers who are making their way to Victor for the Festival of Excelsion -Investigate the encroaching dark forces from the East for the forest spirit (party thinks that the magical and destructive properties of tealstone, these goblin factories and Gazek from Gobelton have something to do with it) -Escort Edlee to Elysium